Speed controller for spinning machines



Feb. 12, 1952 G. F. NORCROSS SPEED CONTROLLER FOR SPINNING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 8, 1949 R. m m m w M 1 J m w z m 6 NM Z w 1 A 5 w 4 M p 1 m W y e 4 m. M I m 7 F i Y w M 1 z w 63 P 5m 7 7/ M F M w M a J a 1 j MM .0 4M 6 0 i w m w m 9 NJ. 6 4w A. .47 6 0 I 8 av, v ,0 M WW 5 4 2 7 N6 fifl A 5w I 1 2 Mfli Q Ma ...J 6 M Feb. 12, 1952 a. F. NoRcRoss' SPEED CONTROLLER FOR SPINNING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 8, 1949 52 3 zm, pof

Feb. 12, 1952 e. F. NoRcRoss 2,585,823

I SPEED CONTROLLER FOR SPINNING MACHINES Filed Dec. 8, 1949 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 awe/WM Feb. 12, 1952 G. F. NO'RCRQSS 2,585 823 SPEED CONTROLLER F OR SPI NNING MACHINES Feb. 12, 1952 i 5- Sheets-Sheec5 Filed Dec. 8, 1949 Patented Feb. 12, 1952 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

SPEED CONTROLLER FOR SPINNING MACHINES Application December 8, 1949, Serial No. 131,869

9 Claims.

This invention relates to speed controllers for ring type spinning machines, and more particularly to such devices for automatically varying the speed of the machine in accordance with changing requirements during the entire building of the bobbin.

The conventional bobbin is wound to have a tapering heel, a cylindrical body, and a tapering tip. The winding begins with the formation of the heel and progresses upward to completion at the tip. The bobbin is built throughout with frusto-conical layers of windings, the upward traverse of the layer being quite slow so that adjacent convolutions of the layer are substantially in contact, and the downward traverse being rapid so that the downward convolutions are spaced apart and at an angle to the upward ones to produce a solid bobbin. Since the cone windings converge upwardly they are reversed in taper to the taper of the heel. At the start of the bobbin building, the first layer is wound directly onto the tube, and each successive layer winds partly on the preceding layer and a small increment, at the upper end, on the tube. Thus, as the winding continues with the wind traversing upwardly each cycle, a taper is formed at the bottom and an opposite one at the top. This continues until the heel is completed, when the wind has reached its full circumference. From this point, the successive layers of winding are successive cones, one upon another, and produce a cylindrical body. Due to this method of winding, there are two cycles to be considered; the basic cycle or complete bobbin building operation giving desired shape to the package, and the traversing cycle forming the separate cones of windings. These two phases will be referred to herein as basic and cyclic, respectively.

It will be obvious from the above that the length of yarn wound each revolution of the spindle will vary constantly with the traversing cycle. In other words, when winding at the base of a cone-shaped layer, or at the full diameter of the bobbin, a greater yarn length per spindle rotation will be taken up than will be the case when the traverse has reached its upper limit and the wind is about the relatively small bobbin tube. In order to compensate for this differential rate of wind, and to provide the evenness of tension so essential to eliminate thread breakage, the spindles should be operated at varying speeds proportionate to the circumference of each convolution of yarn wind. This varying rate will follow a constant curve during the formation of the body of the bobbin, but as the bobbin building operation is begun and during the entire formation of the heel it will change due to the constant decrease in length of the fiat portion of the wind and the constant increase of the conical portion of the wind in each succeeding layer of winding. Thus, the basic cycle influences the cyclic movement, and the cyclic movement, depending upon its nature, must be compensated for by a Varying spindle control.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an automatic device to control the machine speed with nicety in accordance with basic and cyclic requirements, to obtain very close yarn tension control and permit higher speed operation with less breakage. This enables each type of yarn to be programmed under optimum conditions, resulting in a better yarn and increased production.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a device which is fully adjustable whereby changes may be made quickly to meet the needs of different yarn types and different conditions.

A further object is the provision of a device of this kind which may be converted readily to a controlling motion which is either rotary or reciprocable depending upon the type of speed control on the motor with which it is to be used.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of one practical embodiment of the invention, when taken in conjunction with the drawings Which accompany, and form a part of, this specification.

Inthe drawings:

Figure l is a diagrammatic elevational view of the controller shown connected to the spinning machine drive motor and the bobbin builder;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the controller with one side plate removed so that the operating mechanism is visible;

. Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, viewing the mechanism in plan;

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical section through portions of the various controlling arms and their interconnecting means;

Figure 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5-6 of Figure 2, showing one of the control arms;

Figure '7 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a vertical section showing the control rod and the manner of its connection to its operating traveling nut, taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 3;

Figure 9 is a vertical section taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 2, illustrating a portion of one of the adjusting means;

Figure 10 is a horizontal section on the line [-10 of Figure 2 through a counterbalancing spring housing;

Figure 11 is a section on the line ll-H of Figure 4, showing the adjustable mounting of the driving sprocket for the basic cam shaft;

Figure 12 is a similar view on the line I 2l2 of Figure 4 of the mounting for the sprocket on the cycling cam shaft;

Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 8 showing the mounting for a reciprocating control rod; and,

Figure 14 is a diagrammatic view of a bobbin, partly broken in section to illustrate the position of the heel-forming winding layers.

As the spinning machine is well-known in the art and quite complicated, only the driving motor for the spindles and the bobbin builder have been shown as these are the only parts of the machine which cooperate with the present invention.

The motor I has its shaft 2 connected to the spindle drive drum, and the usual tape drives rotate the spindles from the drun1.The motor may be either electric or hydraulic, and may be controlled by a rotary motion to shift the brushes, as in electric motors, or by a reciprocal motion to change the baffle angle in hydraulic motors. The invention will be described in detail in connection with the rotary brush-shifting motion.

The bobbin builder is shown as comprising the usual housing 3 mounted for rocking motion upon a shaft 4. A cam shaft 5, which is part of the spinning machine and driven from shaft 2, is mounted above the forward end of the bobbin builder and carries cam 6 for imparting vertical rocking motion to the housing. A rachet and pawl i are mounted at the end of the housing, the rachet being fixed upon a shaft entering the housing, and the pawl being carried by an arm for arcuate oscillation with respect to the rachet. The arm carrying the pawl is connected by chain 8 to a fixed portion of the machine frame so that the pawl will be moved to rotate the rachet each downward movement of the bobbin builder. Through well-known mechanism, forming no part of the present invention, movement of the rachet will cause take-up drum 9 to move, winding chain it] upon the drum. The degree of rotation of drum 9 for each movement of the bobbin builder is fractional, 'so that chain In is shortened by an almost imperceptable amount. Chain lil is connected in conventional manner to the reciprocating ring rail of the machine, and each downward movement of the bobbin builder is transferred by chain [0 to the ring rail. to cause the rail to make its upward traverse. As the bobbin builder moves upward, the ring rail traverses downward, the downward movement being less than the upward movement by a very small increment due to the take-up motion of drum 9. Thus cam 6 controls the traversing cycle of the ring rail, and drum 9 the progressive upward movement of the ring rail as the bobbin is built. These two movements are the cyclic and basic movements, respectively, referred to above. They serve to produce the bobbin I2 shown in Figure 14, having the lower tapering 'heel IS, the central cylindrical body 14 and the 4 housed within a rectangular casing ll provided with side cover panels l2 and [3. The side panels are shown as being of transparent material to enable the operator to observe the working parts within the casing and to readily ascertain the setting of the various adjustments.

Extending inwardly from one wall of the casing is a bracket M for supporting various elements of the mechanism. Bracket I4 is provided with a boss in which is journaled a hallow shaft l6 which passes through the side panel 12. Within the casing, shaft (8 has keyed to it a basic cam 11, and outside the casing shaft l6 carries a sprocket l8. Sprocket I8 is connected to one sprocket of a double sprocket 19 on the bobbin builder pivot shaft 4 by mean of chain 20. The other sprocket of IQ is connected by means of chain 2| to a sprocket 22 on the bobbin builder take-up drum shaft. The two chains have been shown because the bobbin builder oscillates, but other means of driving shaft 16 from the takeup drum shaft may be employed. Sprockets l8 and 22 are the same size so that shaft l6 rotates in unison with shaft 4 and basic cam [1 moves in increments equal to that of the take-up drum.

Referring particularly to Figures 4 and 12, it will be noted that sprocket I8 is adjustably connected to shaft I6. Shaft has keyed to it a plate 23 provided with a pair of arcuate slots 24. A second plate 25 is keyed to sprocket l8 and has threaded openings to receive bolts 26 which pass through slots 24 in plate 23. Thus the sprocket may be indexed with respect to the shaft and the basic cam ll so that cam I! may be advanced or retarded with relation to the movement of the take-up drum as needed.

A second shaft 21 is journaled within shaft 16, shaft 21 being longer and protruding beyond shaft I6 at the ends. This is the cycling cam shaft, and carries cycling cam 28 keyed to its inner end. The outer end of the shaft receives sprocket 29 which is driven from the bobbin builder cam shaft 5. Shaft 5 carries a sprocket 30 which is connected with sprocket '29 by means of chain 3|. Thus cycling cam 28 rotates one revolution for each cycle of traversing oscillation of the bobbin builder and the ring rail.

The sprocket 29 is adjustably mounted upon the shaft 21 similarly to the mounting of sprocket i8. Shaft 21 has plate 32 keyed to it, and sprocket 29 is bolted to the plate. Plate 32 is provided with arcuate slots 33 through which bolts 34 pass. This makes it possible to adjust the cycling cam relative to the ring rail traverse to compensate for motor lag, and the adjustable mountings of the two sprockets l8 and 29 make the cycling and basic cams adjustable relative to each other.

It will be well to bear in mind that during the building of a standard bobbin the basic cam will make approximately three-quarters of a revolution, and the cycling cam approximately sixteen hundred revolutions.

Two cam followers are provided, one for each cam, pivoted to the base of the casing. Cam follower 35 cooperates with basic cam l1, and cam follower 36 with cycling cam 28. As the cam followers areidentical, a description of one will suffice. The follower is in the form of an arm 31 having a central slot 38, pivoted as at 39 to the casing for vertical movement. The end of the arm, opposite to the pivot, carries a roller 40 for contacting the cam. The ends of the arm are drilled longitudinally in alignment with the slot 38 to receive a threaded-adjusting rod 4 l. A square nut 42 is placed upon the rod 4! within the slot 38, the sides of the slot preventing rotation of the nut. When rod 4| is rotated, nut 42 will move longitudinally of the slot. Rod 4! has its end squared to receive a tool by means of which it may be rotated. The casing is provided with openings 43, covered by removable plates 44, providing access to the rods 4| for adjusting the positions of the nuts 42. Each arm may be provided with a scale along its side to facilitate the setting of the nuts for different conditions.

Each arm is provided with a second longitudinal slot 45 extending from its upper surface to the slot 38, and the nuts 42 have extensions 46 projecting through slots 45, and chains 4'! are attached to the extensions. The upper ends of the two chains 41, extending from the respective cam followers, are connected to opposite ends of rocker arm 48 which is pivotally mounted at its center to the outer end of a vertically movable pivoted lower lever 49.

Extending inwardly from each arm, toward the opposite cam follower, is a stop 55, arranged so that the two stops will contact when the cam followers lie in the same plane. Thestop on the basic cam has a portion 5i to overlie the stop on the cycling cam, so that during certain periods each traverse in the formation of the heelthe cam follower will be held from following the cycling cam as will be described.

Lower lever 49 is coupled to an upper lever52 which directly operates the motor control mechanism. Lever 49 is connected to mounting bracket l4 in the casing by means of pivot pin 53, which pin also supports one end of a pair of links 54 whose opposite ends are pivotally connected to lever 52 by a pin 55. The two levers are further joined by means of an adjusting screw 56 having pivotal movement with respect to both levers. The lower portion of the screw is rotatably mounted in a block 51 which seats in a slot in lever 49 and has trunnions 58 journaled in the walls of the lever. The upper threaded end of the screw is engaged in a threaded opening in a pin 56 journaled for oscillatory movement in lever 52. The top of screw 56 is squared to receive a tool for turning the screw to vary the spacing between the two levers and thus propor tionately vary the range of motor speed as will be described. An opening 66 is provided in the casing above the screw 56 to give access tothe screw for adjustment. The opening has a removable cover plate 6|. Y

It will be seen from the foregoing description that any movement of the two levers will be simultaneous, and that both move in a vertical plane. The lever 49 has only pivotal movement about the pin 53, but due to its link connections, the lever 52 has both pivotal movement and a forward and backward rocking movement. A spring 62 is attached to the free end of lever 49 and the casing urging the lever constantly upward so that the cam followers will be held in engagement with their respective cams. A spring 63 is connected to lever 52 and the casing exerting a backward pull upon the lever to counterbalance its weight and relieve the spring 62 of part of its load.

The outer end of lever 52 is bifurcated, and its arms support trunnions 64 of a ball-bearing nut 65 which coacts with'a vertical threaded shaft 66 which turns the motor control 11. Shaft 66 is journaled in both the top and bottom portions .of the casing and extends beyond the casing at both top and bottom. At the top, the shaftis provided with a crank'handle lli for manual rotatransferred by the rocker arm 48.

tion. The connection of the nut 65 and the shaft 66 is shown in detail in Figure 8. Nut 65 is provided with two or more balls 61, seated in recesses in the nut body, which fit into the relatively Wide threads of the shaft 66. When the nut is moved vertically, the pressure of the balls against the cam surfaces of the thread grooves will cause the shaft to rotate.

Some conventional electric motors have a rotatable control for moving the motors brushes to vary the motor speed. The shaft 66 will be coupled to this control and rotation of the shaft.

will control the motor speed. Due to the fact that the brushes and their appurtenant structure are quite heavy, and their weight would tend to bias the shaft toward rotation in one direction, a counter balancing spring 68 is provided. Spring 68 is similar to a clock spring, and has one end attached to the casing H and the other to the shaft 66. As the shaft is rotated with the weight of the motor brush assembly, the spring will wind, and as the shaft is rotated against the weight of the brush assembly the spring will assist by unwinding. Spring 68 is enclosed in a housing 69.

If the motor control is operated by a linear motion, a reciprocable rod Ill may be substituted for the threaded shaft 66. Rod 76 will be connected at its upper end to a rockable member i I, journaled in the bifurcated end of lever 52 as was the ball-bearing nut 65.

In operation, the controller will be attached to a convenient part of the spinning machine, and connected by sprocket chains to the parts of the bobbin builder mechanism as described. Thus, the basic cam i! will rotate in unison with the take-up drum of the bobbin builder, and the cycling cam 28 will rotate with the bobbin builder cam shaft. Although cams l1 and 26 will rotate synchronously with their respective drive mechanisms, the cams may be advanced or retarded with respect to their drives to compensate for motor lag to secure exactly the correct motor speeds for the various positions of the bobbin builder mechanism. The cam followers 35 and 36 will move in accordance with their respective cams, and through chains 41 and rocker arms 48 will impart movement to the lower lever 49.

The cam followers will not move in unison, due to the different shapes of cams If and 28, and the movement of lever 49 will be the mean between the movements of the cam followers as Both cam followers may be adjusted by means of the threaded rods 4| to move the nuts 42 closer to or further from the fulcrum of the cam followers.

This will vary the range of motor speed. In other Words, when the nuts 42 are close to the fulcrums only a small amount of movement will be imparted to the lever 49 and the motor speed variation will be small; but when the nuts are at a distance from the fulcrums the movement of the lever will be increased, and the motor speed range proportionately increased. Lever 49 in turn will move upper pivoted lever 52, and lever 52 will cause the ball bearing nut 65 to move vertically on the threaded shaft 66. This will rotate the shaft advancing or retarding the motor speed as required. As previously described, the levers 49 and 52 may be adjusted toward or away from one another to determine the initial posi tion of lever 52 on threaded shaft 66 and thus shift the entire controlled operational range to higher or lower motor speeds. I

Thus it will be seen that the machine speed will lee-automatically controlled as conditions demand,v and that the controlisthe mean ofthe basic and cyclic motions ofthe bobbin builder. Themovement of. levers 49 and 52 is causedby the combined movements of cam followers 35 and '36. Rocker arm 48, being connected to chains 41' by swivel connections andto lever 49 by a pivot at right angles to the swivel connections, will float with the movement of the cam followers, moving lever 49 as required by the combined movement of the cam followers. The .adjustments permit operation at optimum under varied conditions, whether those conditions are caused .by .a changed product or different operation of the spinning machine.

While in the above, onepractical embodiment of the invention has been disclosed indetail, it will be understood that various changes may be made from the specific embodimentshown without .departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

i. in a device for controllingthe driveof spinning machines during the bobbin building operation, a basic cam rotatable in increments corresponding to the increments of progressive upward building of the bobbin, a cycling cam 1 otatable in unison with the traverse of the bobbin building operation, a cam follower for each of said cams, a lower pivoted lover, a rocker arm pivoted at its midpoint to said lower lever, means connecting said cam followers to opposite ends of said rocker arm, an upper pivoted lever connected to said lower lever for movement therewith, a shaft operably coupled to said drive and movable to vary the speed of saiddrive, and means coupling said upper lever to said shaft to cause said shaft to move when said upper lever moves.

2. In a controller as claimed in claim 1, said cam followers being pivoted, means for adjusting said means connecting saidcam followers to said rocker arm toward and away from the pivotal points of the cam followers, means foradjusting the positions of said cams to advance and retard their respective cycles of'rotation, and said connecting means between said lower and upper lever being adjustable to determine the intitial position of said shaft.

3. In a device for controlling the drive of spinning machines during the bobbin building operation, a basic cam rotatable in increments corresponding to the increments of progressiveupward building of the bobbin, a cyclingcam rotatable .in unison with the traverse of the bobbin building operation, a cam follower for each of said cams, a pivoted lever, a rocker arm'pivoted at its mid-- point to said lever, means connecting said cam followers to opposite ends of saidrocker arm, a shaft operably coupled to said drive and movable to vary the speed of said drive, means connecting said lever and said shaft, whereby movement of said lever will impart movement to saidshaft, said cam followers being pivoted, and means for adjusting said means connecting said cam followers to said rocker arm toward and away from followers toopposite ends of said rocker arm, a shaft operably coupled to said drive and movable to vary the speed of said drive, means connecting said lever and said shaft, whereby movement of said lever will impart movement to said shaft, and means for adjusting the positions of said camsto advance and retardtheir respective cycles of rotations.

5. In a device for controlling the drive of spinning machines during the bobbin building operation, abasiccam rotatable in increments corresponding to the increments of progressive upward building of the bobbin, a cycling cam rotatable in unison with the traverse of the bobbin building operation, a cam follower for each of said earns, a pivoted lever, a rocker arm pivoted at its midpoint to said lever, means connecting said cam followers to opposite ends of said rocker arm, a shaft operably coupled to said drive and movable to vary the speed of said drive, means connecting said lever and said shaft, whereby movement of said lever will impart movement to said shalt, and means to adjust the connecting means between said lever and said shaft to determine the initial position of said shaft.

6. In a device for controlling the drive of spinning machines during the bobbin building operation, a basic cam rotatable in increments corresponding to the increments of progressive upward building of the bobbin, a cycling cam rotatable in unison with the traverse of the bobbin building operation, a cam follower for each of said cams, a pivoted lever, a rocker arm pivoted at its midpoint to said lever, means connecting said cam followers to opposite ends of said rocker arm, a shaft operably coupled to said drive and movable to vary'the speed of said drive, means connecting said lever and said shaft, whereby movement of said lever will impart movement to said shaft, said cam followers being pivoted, means for adjusting said means connecting said cam followers to said rocker arms toward and away from the pivotal points of the cam followers, means for adjusting the positions of said cams to advance and retard their respective cycles of rotation, and means to adjust the connecting means between said lever and said shaft to determine the initial position of said shaft.

7. In a device for controlling the drive of spinning machines during the bobbin building operation, a basic cam rotatable in increments corresponding to the increments of progressive upward building ofthe bobbin, a cycling cam rotatable in unison with the traverse of the bobbin building operation, a cam follower for each of said cams, a pivotedlever, a rocker arm pivoted'at its'midpoint tosaid lever, means connecting said'cam followers to opposite ends of said "rocker "arm, a shaft operably coupled to said drive and movable to vary the speed of said -drive,=means connecting said lever and said shaft, whereby movement of said lever will impart movement-to said-shaft, said shaft being threadedpand said connection between said lever and said'shaftincluding a nut, whereby movement of said lever will impart a rotary motion to said shaft.

.wfi 'ln'azdevice for controlling the drive of spinning=zmachines :duringrthe .bobbin building oper- -.ation,';.a;basic; camtrotatable .in increments correspondingitorthe increments of progressive upawardtbuilding of the bobbin, a cycling cam rotatable :inzunison {with the traverse of the bobbin building operationp a cam follower for each of said cams, a pivoted lever, a rocker arm pivoted at its midpoint to said lever, means connecting said cam followers to opposite ends of said rocker arm, a shaft operably coupled to said drive and movable to vary the speed of said drive, means connecting said lever and said shaft, whereby movement of said lever will impart movement to said shaft, said shaft being reciprocally mounted, and the connection between said lever and said shaft including a pivot.

9. In a device for controlling the drive of spin ning machines during the bobbin building operation, a basic cam rotatable in increments corresponding to the increments of progressive upward building of the bobbin, a cycling cam rotatable in unison with the traverse of the bobbin building operation, a cam follower for each of said cams, a pivoted lever, a rocker arm pivoted at its midpoint to said lever, means connecting said cam followers to opposite ends of said rocker arm, a shaft operably coupled to said drive and movable to vary the speed of said drive, means connecting said lever and said shaft, whereby movement of said lever will impart movement to 10 said shaft, said cam followers. having stops, and the stop on the cam follower operating on said basic cam having a portion overlying the stop on the cam follower operating on said cycling cam, whereby said cycling cam follower will be held from contact with the cycling cam during a portion of the revolution of the cycling cam over a part of the bobbin building.

GILBERT F. NORCROSS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,200,327 Eichberg et a1 Oct. 3, 1916 1,581,878 Shaw Apr. 20, 1926 2,303,112 Eaton Nov. 24, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 603,247 Germany Sept. 26, 1934 

